The Rise and Fall of Ruling Darkness
by Talisman of Light
Summary: CCSRayearthDigimon crossover. When evil threatens to take over the world, Sakura must ally with strong people in order to fight it, but she never considered the fact that Li's little sister may be the one behind the darkness she has to fight. CH. 5 UP!
1. The Dream

Author's Note/Summary/Disclaimer:  
  
This is my first (and hopefully not pathetically last) attempt at writing a crossover; it's a Rayearth and CCS crossover. I wasn't sure what category to put it in, so I may end up moving this somewhere else later on if I think it will do better there (just warning you beforehand).  
  
When the very existence of our world is threatened, the Master of the Clow, (Sakura), is called upon to help save it from the evil and darkness threatening to take over. Unfortunately, this proves to be a very difficult task and Sakura must seek aid in fighting an inhumanely powerful enemy. But where can she go to for help? Who can she ask? No one seems strong enough to ally with her to fight this darkness, until Sakura meets Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu, three girls who call themselves the "Magic Knights".  
  
Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu, have all but forgotten Cephiro and the magical powers they once donned. Until they are asked to help fight a battle, but this time they are not fighting for Cephiro, they are fighting for their own world, the planet Earth.  
  
I do not own Rayearth or Card Captor Sakura (most unfortunately . . . I wish I did . . .)  
  
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A man dressed in a black robe with dark gems sewn on stands on top of a tall foreboding tower. The wind whips at his robes, making them flap about maliciously about his body. His hands hang loosely by his side. His thoughts seem far away and he has a carefree air about him as he looks out across a jet-black ocean. He turns his head to stare directly at Sakura, his menacing dark eyes a shade of midnight blue.  
The man reaches into his robe and extracts a long black staff. He holds it up and laughs at Sakura as the staff begins to glow a sickly shade of black, an evil and heartlessly cold and cruel laugh. The echoes of the horrid laughter circle around for miles, being seemingly distant for a short while before always coming back to taunt Sakura.  
  
Sakura Kinomoto bolted up in bed, gasping for air. She turned to her digital alarm clock, the lighted numbers glowing bright red. 3:45 it read. Sakura looked towards Kero's hiding place and bed. She could hear him snoring; sound asleep. She looked towards the book in which the Star cards were stored. The book was closed; shut tight. She looked out the window; but it too was closed and there was nothing there but the shining silver crescent moon and the dark shape of tree branches.  
Sakura was sweating heavily. She lay back down staring at the ceiling for a while, thinking hard about her recent dream. Who was that man? she asked herself. What did he want? And why was he laughing? Was he possibly laughing at me? Sakura sighed. Well I'll try and find out tomorrow. Right now I need to get some sleep if I'm ever going to wake up in time for school tomorrow.  
  
The alarm clock beeped loudly in Sakura's ear. "Huh, what is it?" asked Sakura rubbing her eyes as she sat up. She looked at the clock. "WHAT!?" Sakura groaned. "Oh man! I'm going to be late again! That's the fourth time this week." Sakura got out of bed and went to get ready for school, doing her best to speedily brush her teeth while dressing herself at the same time.  
Kero looked out from the top of the drawer in which Sakura had made a bed for him. "Hey Sakura, there've only been four days of school this week, meaning you've been late every day this week!"  
"Kero!" Sakura shrieked.  
"Oh, right. Sorry!" Kero turned around and looked the other way as Sakura unsuccessfully attempted to put on her shirt while eating the piece of toast she had stuffed into her mouth.  
"Well, Sakura? Just trying to help a bit here, you might want to put the toast down," said Kero.  
"Hmm?" came Sakura's muffled reply. "Oh right." Sakura put down the toast on her bedside table, then finished changing before she picked it up again. "I'm ready for school!" she said happily, if not just a bit proudly.  
  
"I know, and just about time too." Toya popped his head through Sakura's bedroom door. Kero zoomed back into the drawer and fell into a stiff, unmoving position, doing his very best to look like a real toy stuffed animal. "If you want me to wait for you Sakura, then you'll have to get ready earlier. I already risk being late, and all because of you!"  
Sakura looked at her older brother apologetically. "I'm really sorry Toya," she said, "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."  
"That's what you said last time, I really wish you'd stick to your word," muttered Toya. Out loud he said, "It's okay, forget it, let's go, you're wasting even more time!" Toya grabbed Sakura's arm and dragged her down the stairs outside into the bright sunlight.  
"Owwww!" Sakura blinked and shaded her eyes from the sun as she asked no one in particular, "Why is the sun so bright today?"  
"Sakura! Are you ready yet?"  
"Oh right, sorry!" Sakura strapped on her roller blades and skated ahead of Toya with one big stride.  
"You little rascal!" Toya jumped on his bike and started pedaling fast until he fell in just beside Sakura.  
At a curb, Sakura and Toya met Yukito, who said in a nonchalant voice, "Hey, how's it going? I almost left because I thought you guys had decided to ditch school or something."  
"Sorry, blame it on Sakura."  
"Hey!" Sakura skated faster, but both Tori and Yuki caught up to her. Both pedaled on each side of her as if they were guards escorting a prisoner to the executioner's. Sakura looked to her right, up into her brother's gruff, but kind eyes. She then looked to Yuki. She gasped. His eyes were strange from what she remembered. But no, she thought. Not strange, just different. Sakura's eyes widened with recognition. It was Yue! Was he trying to take over Yukito now? With Toya around? He should know better, Sakura scolded Yue mentally, even though she knew neither of the two, or even three, people around her could hear.  
Sakura looked back at Yukito. His eyes were back to normal and Yue was gone, but there was no mistaking it. Yue had been trying to emerge. Why? thought Sakura. To talk to me? Well I do need to talk to him. Him and Kero both. I'll try meeting them after school, when hopefully, I'll have more time.  
  
Sakura ran out the school door as soon as her class was dismissed, before the bell even stopped ringing.  
"Sakura!" shouted Tomoyo from across the yard. "Wait up!" As she neared closer to Sakura, Tomoyo slowed down and huffed, "You've been acting weird all day. Is there a problem you haven't been telling me about?" Tomoyo looked at Sakura, her eyes questioning.  
Sakura looked around before she came to look at her friend and said quietly, "Well actually yes. But I think we should talk about this somewhere else. Let's go over to my house. Dad has to teach an extra evening class today and Toya has to stay after school for some kind of practice or something. He was very mysterious about it and wouldn't say what it was, but at least he won't be there to overhear what we discuss. So we have the whole house to ourselves for at least a few hours before dinner."  
"Cool. Sounds great to me! Let's go." Tomoyo started walking and looked back. Sakura, who was staring out into the distance realized what she was supposed to be doing, and immediately started running to catch up with Tomoyo.  
  
Tomoyo stared at Sakura, her eyes wide with disbelief as she heard about Sakura's dream the night before.  
"So there's another enemy?" she asked her friend.  
"Well," said Sakura, "I'm not sure. I mean he didn't exactly look like a potential ally, but it's not like he did anything harmful either."  
"Of course he didn't do anything harmful. It was a dream, Sakura. Dreams aren't real. They're just signs of what may be about to happen."  
"Meaning some evil guy is about to stand on a tower and look out across the ocean and then laugh at me?"  
"No, that's not what I meant." Tomoyo sighed. "It probably means something closer to that there's a new enemy you have to fight. But," she added with a wink, "I'm not that much of an expert about these things, you might want to ask Kero's opinion. By the way," Tomoyo added as she looked around, "Where is Kero? Shouldn't he be back by now?"  
Sakura also looked around the family room where she and Tomoyo had decided to sit on the couch eating cookies they had baked earlier by themselves, before looking outside at the darkening sky then at the clock hanging over the mantel. "Huh? I mean now that you mention it, I sent him out to find and bring Yue- I mean- Yukito over quite a while ago. Like right after we got here from school, which was three hours ago." Sakura stared out the window as a worried look crossed over her face. "Where could he be? He should have come back ages before now!"  
Tomoyo patted Sakura's shoulder. "Don't worry, maybe he just got tied up or something. Want me to help you go search for him?"  
"No," said Sakura strongly, showing the slightest signs of distress. "He could be in trouble, I have to go find him."  
Tomoyo resisted the urge to roll her eyes, since they kind of were in the middle of a crisis right now. "I know, Sakura," she said soothingly, "I can help you look for him. After all, two pairs of eyes are better than one."  
"No," said Sakura her voice full of a strange mix of authority and protection, "I mean I'd love to have you help, Tomoyo, but I have no idea where Kero is. For all we know, he could have been captured by some unknown enemy or knocked out somewhere on the other side of the world. Searching for him could prove to be a very dangerous job. I've learned that part of being a cardcaptor is 'expecting the unexpected'. I don't know what I'm in for, but I don't want anyone getting hurt. Which is why," Sakura's voice filled with pleading as she looked at Tomoyo, "you have to stay behind. I have a bad feeling about this and even if I hadn't learned anything by now, at least one thing I definitely should have learned for sure is to trust my instincts. It doesn't all make sense, like that dream I had, and Kero's disappearance before I even had a chance to discuss it with him, but I know I have to go now, to search for him."  
"Please," said Tomoyo, "Let me go with you Sakura. You yourself said it's not safe."  
"I'm sorry, Tomoyo, but I just don't want you or anyone else to get hurt. And I just have this feeling inside that I have to do this alone. I have to prove I have earned the right to call myself the Master of the Clow. I have to save Kero and Yue by myself. No one can do it for me, or help me do it. It's something I have to do alone. If there's trouble, and I'm not at school tomorrow, call Syaoran and tell him everything, but please, for my sake, don't mention anything of this to anyone otherwise." Sakura looked at her friend.  
Tomoyo stared back into Sakura's unblinking eyes. They weren't demanding or commanding her, they were pleading, entreating, and even begging her. Sakura's eyes were quite sincerely requesting Tomoyo to let her go alone. There's no way I can refuse her now, thought Tomoyo. But I'm worried for her safety. She's going now to save the ones she needs to protect. She won't let me go with her because she feels she needs to protect me also. But who will protect her? If the enemy strikes when she is by herself, who will watch her back? I know, I think I have an idea. I will not tell Sakura this, but I will secretly call Syaoran tonight, and tell him everything now. He may know something that can be of help. Sooner is always better than later, or so they always say. Out loud, Tomoyo just said, "Okay fine. Go on Sakura, but please be careful." Sakura took her friend's hands in hers and held them in tight clasp, looking Tomoyo directly in the eyes. "I'll be back before you know it. You won't even get a chance to miss me!" "I hope what you say is true, Sakura," Tomoyo said to herself very softly as Sakura let go of her hands, and went to choose some Star cards from out of the book. Sakura released the Mirror card, who appeared as an exact copy of herself. "Take my place while I am gone," she told it before looking at Tomoyo for one last time. "Come back soon Sakura." "Don't worry, I will." Sakura walked to the door with Tomoyo. "Oh wait, I forgot!" "What?" asked Tomoyo. Sakura took out a piece of paper and a pen. She scribbled a note to Toya and her father. "Just in case," she said as she looked back at Tomoyo. Tomoyo shrugged. She and Sakura both walked through the front door, going outside. They found it was pouring. The sky and air around them were barely visible because of all the rain falling down relentlessly. "Eek!" Tomoyo yelped then ran back inside. "You wouldn't happen to have an umbrella would you? It was so sunny this morning, I thought I wouldn't need it." "Of course," said Sakura. She ran back inside and grabbed a single umbrella. "What about you?" Tomoyo asked as she opened it up. "I won't be able to hold onto an umbrella and the staff at the same time! Besides, I'll use the cards to help me out." Sakura shut and locked the door, slipping the house keys she had received from her father just recently, once he had decided she had proved herself to be responsible enough, into the pocket of the battle costume Tomoyo had found just moments before, buried deep in her closet from the days when Sakura was still trying to capture all the cards. Sakura particularly liked this one outfit. It wasn't nearly as wacky as some of the others Tomoyo had made for her. It was actually quite simple. It was a simple loose sleeveless kimono type thing that fell to her knees, and had slits down both sides. It was colored periwinkle, with a blue- violet colored obi, or sash. In this sash, Sakura had stuck in her cards and the staff, which was already extended from its key form. Underneath the kimono, Sakura had on loose black pants made of a fairly comfortable material, to keep her legs warm, and long silver and navy-blue colored gloves with open fingers, on her arms. Sakura turned around and looked at Tomoyo. "So." she began. "Farewell. See you later!" Tomoyo said pleasantly. "Right. Bye!" "Ja." Sakura used the Fly card first to get up into the now fully dark sky before using the Shield card to protect herself from the rain. She started flying in some random direction, waving to Tomoyo until her friend was no longer visible. Now, thought Sakura as she hovered in the air, looking around trying to decide where she should go. What next? She looked at the lighted city visible far below her. Where should I start looking for Kero anyway?  
  
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So that concludes the first chapter of my crossover. Please R&R or R&F (I don't really care which . . . . I just want to know for sure if people are actually reading what I write, or if I'm just wasting my time) and I'll update a.s.a.p.! (Expect the next chapter in like around two to three weeks because it takes me forever to finish and update a chapter since I get sidetracked very easily.) ^_^ 


	2. The Search

Author's Note:  
  
So here's Chapter 2 . . . enjoy! (In case anyone's wondering, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu will make their entrance in the next chapter, meaning Chapter 3, so all events in this chapter will be leading up to when they come.)  
  
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The rain made a gentle pattering sound on the window in Tomoyo's room. The sky outside was full of dark ominous clouds promising even more rain. There was no sign of the rain letting up anytime soon.  
  
"Um . . . hello?" Tomoyo was shifting nervously from foot to foot as she stood in her bedroom, with her cell phone shaking in her hand. It was the first time she had tried to talk to Syaoran ever since he'd gone back to Hong Kong last year. She wasn't really sure what to expect. What she did not expect was what she heard when after she had, in all her anxiety, said hello as soon as she heard the click you normally hear when a phone has been either picked up or put down, before hearing if anyone on the other side had actually answered the call, first  
"Hello," came a mechanical voice from the other end, "You have reached a number that has just recently been disconnected. No additional information on this number can be provided at the time. For further assistance, please call your operator. Thank you, and good bye." There was another click and Tomoyo could tell that the machine-recorded voice had hung up.  
Tomoyo frowned as she thought over what she had just heard. The number Syaoran had given her couldn't be disconnected, she thought stubbornly, not willing to accept the truth. It just couldn't be! She tried calling again, but heard the same response.  
What does it mean "for further assistance" call the operator? Tomoyo thought to herself angrily. It should say "for any assistance" because it's not like the message helped me call Syaoran. It's not even like it tried! If anything, it's just made me more depressed I didn't insist on going to find Kero together. Tomoyo sighed sadly with much regret. Her best friend, Sakura, was in danger, and she needed help, whether she was willing to admit it or not. While she herself may not be able to be of much aid, Syaoran was one who possibly could be. He was the only one. If Kero had disappeared, then there was only one other person Tomoyo knew of, one other person strong enough to help her friend. And that person was Syaoran. But that person was also now beyond Tomoyo's reach, since the only way she could think of contacting him was by phone, and go figure, she thought, his number just had to be disconnected. Couldn't he have gotten a new number? He probably has, she thought sullenly. But since I never called him, he must've forgotten about me and never bothered to call and tell me the new number. He could have an email address, but I never asked him about even that! Why didn't I ever try talking to him? Tomoyo asked herself despairingly. I could've saved myself and everyone else, including Sakura and Kero, a whole lot of grief. But I acted stupidly, and didn't call him even once. And now we all must suffer.  
Tomoyo flung herself onto her bed forlornly, feeling quite terrible about herself and the disconnected number.  
  
"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK ALL HOPE IS LOST, DAIDOUJI?"  
  
"Huh?" Tomoyo jumped up from her bed and frantically looked around the room. "Who are you," she asked, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice.  
  
"WHO I AM SHOULD BE OF NO CONCERN OF YOURS. ALL YOU SHOULD WORRY ABOUT IS WHAT I WANT."  
  
"What do you want?" Tomoyo screamed, now very thoroughly scared. She presumed that hearing voices inside your head was not very likely to be something good or normal.  
  
"I WANT YOU."  
  
"Yeek!" Tomoyo shrieked, as her entire room was flooded with darkness. She couldn't even see her hands in front of her face as she tried to feel around. Strong gusts of wind blew all around her, whipping at her clothes and hair. She gasped as she felt a hand grab her wrist. "Let me go!" she cried. "Who are you? What do you want?" She blindly began waving at the air with her other hand. She tried to twist out of the strong grip on her wrist, but failed. She felt another hand on her waist. It squeezed her middle tightly, almost mercilessly, nearly depriving her of oxygen for a few desperate seconds.  
Tomoyo felt she was being pulled up, very slowly, but surely. Pulled up where? she thought. Into the darkness? As if there isn't already enough down here. She tried asking out loud, but her voice failed her. She screamed, but the sound was lost in the fierce, roaring wind surrounding her.  
Tomoyo started to struggle against the hands around her wrist and waist. She tried pushing her body downwards, but had no success, and instead, she felt she continued to be pulled upward. Up into the endless darkness.  
The grip didn't loosen one bit as the darkness swallowed Tomoyo. She screamed once more. But it was useless. No one could hear her now.  
She finally felt the grip loosen once her feet were on solid ground. Tomoyo opened her eyes, which she had been keeping shut tight, in an attempt to ease the darkness pressing on her eyes. All she saw was a hand in a black glove fly at her face, viciously backhanding her, before her vision left her again, and she was knocked out by a terrible feeling of overwhelming pain in her head.  
  
Sakura stood on the front porch waiting. After a few more minutes of standing around she rang the doorbell a second time. When no one answered after five more minutes, Sakura decided no one must be home.  
Sakura sighed. Now she was even more worried. Yukito was normally home around this time. Even if he had stayed after school for something or other, he should have been back by now. School closed for the night a few hours ago.  
Well, thought Sakura, I now know for sure. Whatever or whoever took Kero must also have taken Yue. But why? What would someone want with them?  
Sakura looked out into the sky. The near black clouds totally obscured the moon and stars from view. It was so sunny and bright today, she thought. What is up with the sudden weather changes? Sakura stared at the clouds for a bit longer, but she was not thinking about the weather anymore.  
"I am alone now," she whispered to herself. "Kero left today and didn't come back, and now Yue's disappeared. They've all gone and abandoned me." Sakura didn't know how she knew, but she just had a gut feeling that Yue was with Kero, and that if she found one of them, she would find the other. After a while longer of feeling sorry for anyone she had ever cared about, Sakura scolded herself, "Of course they haven't abandoned me. What am I thinking? By losing hope and thinking like this, I'm the one who's abandoning them! I have to go save them. I have to search for them, I have to find them, and even if I have to do it by myself. I know I can do it by myself," Sakura said to herself strongly, "Was I named the Master of the Clow because I chickened out every time a card showed up?" After a moment of thinking it over, she sadly said, "No. I went out and fought and captured it. But Kero and Syaoran helped me, and Tomoyo gave me the encouragement I needed. Who's going to do all that now? Can I really rescue Kero and Yue all by myself? Could I have captured the cards and be named the Master of the Clow if I was all by myself? All alone with no help or anything? I wonder, can I really do anything alone?"  
"You never know what you can do until you try Sakura, and you must never stop trying."  
Sakura was surprised. Her father used to tell her the same thing when she was younger. But who was talking now? She whipped around. But as far as she could tell, no one was there.  
"Of course you can do things by yourself. You passed Yue's judgment all alone, didn't you? And you did it without any help. You also retrieved plenty of cards without aid or interference. You underestimate yourself, Kinomoto. I can assure you, there is absolutely no way you could have been able to become the Master of the Clow simply by fluke. Absolutely no way."  
Sakura looked around, but still no one showed up. Until she saw a faint glimmering in the air. Sakura looked closer. "M-m-mother?" she asked unbelievingly, squinting at the being who had suddenly appeared before her. The image in front of her eyes did indeed look like her mother. Yet that was impossible, her mother was dead. But then who was this person in front of her?  
"No, I am very sorry Sakura, but I am not your mother. I am a messenger."  
"A messenger," Sakura said softly, "from whom?"  
"That is something I am forbidden to say."  
"B-b-but . . . then what do you want?"  
"Please listen to me, for I don't have much more time. I cannot explain very much to you, and you already know some things, but I will do my best to tell you what I can. Someone is after you."  
"After me?" Sakura asked, surprised, "what on earth would someone want with me?"  
"He is after the Master of the Clow, the cards, and heaven know what else. This person is very evil and will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if it means destroying the very Earth itself. You must stop him, though. You must save this world from this threatening evil. You, alone, Sakura, Master of the Clow, are the only who, who has the power to stop him. At least, you are for the time being, the only one we are aware of."  
"Who's we," asked Sakura, "and who is this evil person? And why does he want me and the cards?"  
"I cannot tell you, for the truth is unknown and the evidence is questionable. My time is up, I must go now. Farewell, young Sakura."  
"No!" Sakura shouted as the woman in front of her eyes started to disappear, "Wait! What do you mean by 'truth is unknown and the evidence is questionable'? Please don't go," Sakura looked helplessly at the woman as she totally vanished, leaving no trace that there was ever anyone there.  
After a while longer of staring into space, Sakura muttered a curse under her breath, even though it was against her principles to curse. "I'm so stupid," she muttered to herself, "I didn't even ask where I should go to start looking for this evil dude and Kero and Yue, I didn't even ask what I'm expected to do. Baka!"  
Sakura walked away from Yukito's house, practically dragging her feet across the neatly trimmed lawn. The future looked bleak as Sakura thought about what to do next. I know I have to rescue Kero and Yue, first of all. Then I can think about defending myself against this evil person, or whatever he is. But I don't think defending myself will be enough, the lady or whatever she is, told me I would have to stop him from destroying the world. Can I really do that?"  
Sakura sighed and looked around. There wasn't a single living creature to be seen. She quickly ducked behind a bush and took out her staff. "Fly!" she yelled. After she had successfully acquired her wings, Sakura released another card, "Shield! Shield me from everything around me including the eyes of passerby!" Once she was fully shielded and ready to fly, Sakura did one more thing with her magic. She took out a miniature lasin board Syaoran had given to her shortly before he had left. "Lasin board!" she yelled, "Show me the way I should travel!"  
The board sent out a beam of bright light straight up into the air, which disappeared. Then, after a few seconds, another beam of light shot out of the board. This light pointed in a direction that was suspiciously familiar to Sakura. It was the direction she had come from, her own house.  
Not wanting to waste anymore time, Sakura immediately flew towards the direction the lasin board had given her. She passed house after house. One of them was oddly recognizable as Tomoyo's house. Sakura stopped for a second, hovering in midair. It was Tomoyo's house! But while the rest of the house was lit, Tomoyo's room was dark, pitch black even. Sakura flew to her friend's bedroom window. There was a large lock, but Sakura knew a way to deal with that. She minimized her staff and used her Star key. Thankfully, the lock clicked open as soon as Sakura inserted the key and turned. Sakura opened the window and rushed in. The sudden momentum from her wings made her crash into the wall opposite the window. A voice from downstairs shouted, "Tomoyo! What on earth are you doing up there?"  
Wait a minute, thought Sakura. Something very fishy is going on. If someone is calling Tomoyo from downstairs, she should be upstairs. But there's no one here. Sakura walked over and flipped on the light switch next to Tomoyo's bedroom door. The lights sparked once then died. Something's definitely wrong here, Sakura thought as she stood in complete darkness, where is Tomoyo?  
  
"THE GIRL IS WITH ME, KINOMOTO. SO ARE YOUR GUARDIANS."  
  
"What?" Sakura spun around, but all she saw was darkness. The second time I've heard voices in my head, today, she thought. This is so not a good sign. At least the first time the voice belonged to someone. Where's this one coming from? I can't even see or tell. I know, "LIGHT! Release!"  
The released Light card flew around the room, making the room brighter than it was even in the daytime. But try as she did, Sakura could still see no one. She peered at the bed and the closet, but there was nothing there.  
"Who are you?" Sakura demanded, more annoyed than scared, "Where are you? Quit playing games like hide-and-seek, I'm too old for that, and I have other things to do. What do you want, anyway? And where is Tomoyo?"  
  
"IMPATIENT, ARE YOU?"  
  
"No, I just like to get down to business right away, instead of fooling around."  
  
"VERY WELL THEN, LET US GET DOWN TO BUSINESS. I HAVE ALREADY TOLD YOU ONCE BEFORE, I HAVE THE GIRL AND THE TWO GUARDIANS, THE BEAST AND THE JUDGE."  
  
"You mean Tomoyo, Kero, and Yue?"  
  
"CALL THEM WHAT YOU WISH, I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU I HAVE THEM AND THAT THEY ARE IN DANGER. IF YOU DO NOT FOLLOW MY COMMANDS, I WILL HURT THEM."  
  
Sakura shivered, but put on a strong face. "Just how can I be sure you have them? For all I know, you're lying to me, just to try and get me to do what you want."  
  
"YOU DO NOT BELIEVE ME. HOW AMUSING. VERY WELL, KINOMOTO. I WILL GIVE YOU THE PROOF YOU WANT. COME TO TOKYO TOWER RIGHT NOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. AND KINOMOTO . . . JUST FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR FRIENDS, YOU MIGHT WANT TO HURRY."  
  
A terrible laughter echoed all around the tiny room. Sakura recognized it as the laughter she had heard in her dream. It was very cold and evil sounding, empty of anything but contempt. Not wanting to endanger her friends even more, Sakura flew out the window and headed over to Tokyo Tower. To increase her speed, Sakura released the Dash card.  
  
She made it to the entrance of the tower in record time. As Sakura looked up at the tall tower above her, she gasped. It was the exact same as the one in her dream. There was no black ocean around, though. She tilted her head back to look at the top. There he was, just as he was in her dream, standing on the top of the tower, shoulders stooped just a little. The wind whipped his black robes and black gems glittered all over his body. He laughed once more. A chill went up Sakura's spine. The man jumped down with surprising grace. He landed on his feet with impossible ease. "Well met, Kinomoto." The man's voice was a soft purr, misleading, but still very lethal. "What have you done to them?" Sakura shouted, though the man was not more than a few feet away from her. "They are still safe and sound, do not worry." "Where are they?"  
"Look, up there," the man said as he pointed to the top of the tower from where he had jumped down. Sakura followed his finger to see two indistinct figures tied to tall stakes. The wind blew their hair wildly around their heads, and thick, heavy ropes around their necks, middle, and feet, tying them to the stakes. Their hands were wrenched behind them and tied behind their back. There was a third figure, a large, and beautiful creature with his paws chained and a collar around his neck. The creature's wings were tied down with weights. The once beautiful silvery wings were now bent and looked broken.  
Sakura tore her eyes off the horrible sight in front of her. "What have you done to them?" she screamed at the man.  
"Cooperate with me, and I shall release them."  
Sakura looked around hopelessly, but did not dare look up. She could not bear to see the sight of her friends all shackled up like that again. I guess I have to listen to him, thought Sakura. If I don't he'll hurt them even more, and I don't want that. By the way, where are all the people? As Sakura looked around, she could tell the tower had been deserted a while ago. The man had probably done something.  
"What do you want me to do?" Sakura asked.  
"Good girl, then I take it you've decided to cooperate? Good, now this task will be much easier. First I want you to hand over the Clow book."  
"The Book of Clow? I don't have it with me." But after she saw the hungry, almost eager look on the man's face, Sakura hurriedly added, "But I can go and get it right now if you want."  
The man laughed that horrible laugh again. He took out a long, black staff and pointed at the three figures above the tower. Black lightning crept over their bodies, occasionally turning crimson. Sakura heard someone scream, it sounded like Tomoyo.  
"Stop," Sakura cried, "please don't hurt them!"  
The evil laugh continued as the black staff glowed and even more magic appeared on her friends' bodies, this time much of it was pure crimson.  
"No," Sakura screamed. She fell to her knees. "Please stop, I'll do anything, I swear!"  
"Anything?" asked the man. He walked over to her and raised his staff above her head, and laughed again.  
Sakura looked up. The man's evil face looked down at her. His left hand held the staff raised above her, poised to bring it down onto her head. The blow would knock her out, maybe even kill her. But there was nothing she could do now; she had placed herself in an awfully vulnerable position.  
Is this really the end? thought Sakura.  
  
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Well, this ends the second chapter, I hope I didn't sound too sadistic with my descriptions of pain and sadness or anything, because I have seen worse, much worse. I know this wasn't really that good of a chapter, but please don't give up on me, I promise the next chapter will be a LOT better. The only reason this one sucked is because I kind of had a serious case of writer's block, so I had to force everything out of my head. (I know that sounds so wrong, but . . .) Anyways, plz review! And the next chapter will be up as soon as I finish it and find time to go post it. (Expect it in like around two to three weeks) 


	3. The Cry for Help

Author's Note:  
  
Well, here's chapter 3. The story is going switch from one scene to a different scene quite a few times, so just warning you, incase anyone may end up getting confused. (I'll put "~~~ . . ." whenever I'm reverting to another scene if it's any help.)  
  
By the way, I just wanted to thank and acknowledge the people who've been reviewing since chapter 1, like justblue and crystal-flame123. (I know it's kind of sad, but I don't get a lot of reviews so I'm normally extremely overjoyed when I get even just one per story, but this story has received more than just one thanks to justblue and crystal-flame123, so thank you! ^_^)  
  
Okay then . . . on with the story now!!!  
  
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The evening was cool and had a calm and peaceful feeling to it. Hikaru Shidou was walking her dog, Hikari, around the block. She sighed as she breathed in the fresh air of the neighborhood. She was lucky. Her neighborhood was one of the very few left with good air quality. Pollution was getting so bad in Tokyo. Hikaru was daydreaming about a world she had once been to, a world now very far away. Her thoughts were totally distracted from school and the homework awaiting her when she got back home. A sudden scream jerked her back to reality. Hikaru wildly looked around. No one was in sight. But then what had she heard? The scream echoed again and Hikaru started running towards the direction it was coming from. She took off Hikari's leash and let him go. "Go home, Hikari," she told her dog softly. "I'll be back as soon as I can." Hikaru ran on until she was out of the neighborhood altogether. There was still no one in sight and as Hikaru looked around, she still couldn't tell where the scream was coming from. Now it was reverberating in her mind, a cry of pain and fury. She could tell whatever or whoever it was, they were asking her for assistance, but she couldn't tell why. Out of frustration, she yelled out loud, "Who are you? Where are you? What do you want from me?" The only reply Hikaru received was a faint whisper as all of a sudden the wind picked up and pulled at her hair. She braced herself and tried to stand her ground but the wind was too strong. She was knocked off balance. The wind was so strong, a gale forced her into midair and started blowing her away. At first Hikaru didn't hear the whisper at the back of her mind, until it repeated its message again. "Help."  
  
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Umi was sitting with her parents at the dinner table. Her napkin was in her lap and she was holding her fork in the most proper way a person could. Both her parents did the same. Dinner at Umi's house was always a formal occasion, even though it was just the three of them, her mother, her father, and herself. Umi's family ate everything with a fork because they considered it "only proper". This included the pizza they were having for dinner, which Umi now struggled to cut into easy bite size pieces her fork could pick up. The task seemed quite difficult though. After five minutes of attentively trying to cut up her pizza with just a fork, Umi's thoughts drifted from the pizza elsewhere. She was thinking of people from another world she had met a long time ago. She hadn't seen them in ages. Umi was longingly thinking about how nice it would be if she could see them even once, when she heard a scream. Umi let out a cry. "Umi dear, what is the matter?" asked Umi's mother with a concerned look on her face. "Mother, did you hear it?" Umi's father now joined in, "Hear what, honey? It's been so very quiet, are you sure you're not hearing things?" Umi stared at her parents dumbfounded. "Y-y-you mean you can't hear it?" Her parents shook their heads. Oh dear, thought Umi. Am I hearing voices in my head or something? Just then she heard the scream again. "There," she shouted triumphantly, jumping out of her chair, causing it to fall over backwards. Both Umi and her parents winced as the chair made a crashing sound on the hardwood floor of the dining room. Umi quickly recovered, and told her parents, "Someone screamed. You heard it, right? I think they need help. I'll be right back." Umi's parents looked at each other, puzzled. Why was their daughter acting so weird? They heard the front door of the house slam shut as Umi left to go outside. Umi's father pushed out his chair and got up. He quickly walked over to the door and opened it. "Wait," he shouted. "Umi, where are you?" It was really windy outside. He could barely see anything because of all the things blowing around. "UMI!" he yelled once more. Now Umi's mother had come to join him. "Where is she?" she asked fearfully. "I do not know. She is nowhere to be seen," Umi's father replied. "No . . . Umi." Umi's mother looked at the wind and her heart sank. Was her only daughter now gone forever? What on earth was going on?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Fuu was daydreaming about a long sword she had once owned in another world, as she was watering her plants outside in her backyard. As she looked around, she could tell it was getting late. I'll have to go back in soon, she thought.  
As Fuu finished watering the last plant, she set the watering can down, stood up, and stretched out her arms. Suddenly she heard a scream.  
She looked around frantically, but there was no one to be seen. She started running back to her house, when all of a sudden the wind started blowing fiercely. She was suddenly blown backwards and found herself up in the air.  
She shuddered as she heard the scream again, and then a soft whisper. "Magic Knights. Your help . . . . is needed . . . . once more."  
  
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Real short chapter, I know. I apologize but I got really busy with other things. I promise I'll try to do better next chapter, where Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu find out they have to help Sakura fight the evil sorcerer. Please review!!! Next chapter will be up a.s.a.p.! ^_^ 


	4. The Heart of Earth

Sorry it took so long, but chapter 4 is FINALLY up! (Obviously as it is what you are currently reading . . .) Enjoy!  
  
By the way, along with Rayearth and CCS, I don't own Digimon either. (I know this is supposed to be Rayearth/CCS but since it is a battle for Earth against evil I found other anime/manga that could fit in very nicely. Please don't stop reading just because you don't watch/read one series or another. If you have any suggestions for other anime/manga I should include then tell me in a review, and I will do my best to include it.)  
  
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Sakura didn't even look up. She couldn't bear it. It was one thing to acknowledge your failure. It was quite another to know that through your own failure, you failed all those dear to you.  
The man laughed evilly. How so very sad, thought Sakura, the last thing I hear before my death is this horrid laugh. The last thing I see is this vile man. The last memory I have is the pain of my friends, for which I am partly responsible. I don't want to lose hope, but was there any hope to begin with? It's all over, isn't it? After he kills me, he'll kill Kero, and Yue, and Tomoyo, and then he'll take the cards and kill even more people. In the end, he may even destroy the whole world. And it's all my fault! I couldn't stop him . . .  
  
The staff the evil mage held poised above Sakura's head glowed with dark power. Laughing, he brought it down swiftly. It came down vehemently, slicing through the air, making an eerie whistling sort of sound . . .  
  
But it never made contact . . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The scream echoed all around, but it was obvious the source of the scream had already been silenced. Hikaru looked around. The wind had died down and she was in a large dark chamber. She seemed to be standing on some type of ledge. The only light came from somewhere down below. Should I go down? Hikaru asked herself. I don't see any way to get down though.  
As if in answer, the wind picked up again. Hikaru felt it enveloping her in a tight encirclement, as it gently blew her down to the ground. Hikaru gasped in surprise. There were two other girls standing before her. "Umi?" asked Hikaru unbelievingly, "Fuu?"  
"HIKARU?!" both Umi and Fuu exclaimed. Surprised, they both turned to each other, and said, "YOU TOO?!"  
"We haven't seen each other in ages!" Hikaru said.  
"Yes, it feels like it's been forever since we last visited Cephiro," agreed Umi.  
"But we're all here now, aren't we? The question is why." Fuu looked at Hikaru and Umi.  
"Well, did you all get transported here by wind?" asked Hikaru.  
"As funny as it sounds, yes. But who called us?" asked Umi.  
"Did you hear a voice asking for help?"  
"Yes! So I'm not the only one hearing voices in my head. That's always a good thing to know."  
"Well," said Fuu, now joining in the conversation, "I heard someone say, 'Magic Knights, your help is needed once more'."  
"But then are we in Cephiro?" Umi looked at the other two inquisitively.  
"I don't think so."  
Umi and Fuu looked at Hikaru in surprise.  
"I think we are still in our world, Earth."  
"What makes you think that, Hikaru?" asked Fuu.  
Hikaru's answer was interrupted as the scream sounded again. "Look!" shouted Hikaru, "It's coming from there!"  
In a corner, the light Hikaru had first seen shone out into bright beams. The scream seemed to echo strongest from there, so Hikaru led Umi and Fuu there. She gasped at what she saw.  
Lying on the ground, bathed by white-violet light was a beautiful fairy-like creature. Next to her lay a little purple digital device that emitted a faint beeping. But Hikaru paid no attention to the digital device, her eyes were on the fairy. She knew that at one point, this fairy must have been very spectacular in appearance, but now it hurt even to look at her. This was because both the fairy's delicate looking wings had been smashed, her long violet-colored hair was in tangles, and she was bruised all over.  
"Who are you?" Hikaru asked softly. "Are you the one who called us?"  
To her surprise, instead of replying the fairy did something very odd. She transformed. The digital device's beeping got louder and more incessant and the fairy was obscured from view by a ring of white light. When the light disappeared, a human girl was left behind.  
Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu just stood there, gaping, as the girl sat up and began to talk in a tired but friendly voice, "Hi, my name is Zoe. I am really sorry to have called you here. I didn't think anyone would hear, but I guess my D-tector has more power than I thought."  
Umi and Fuu continued to stare, but Hikaru was the first one to recover and said, "It's nice to meet you, Zoe. But, if you'll excuse me, what exactly are you?"  
"Oh," Zoe laughed, "I'm sorry, I guess I shocked you with that little bit of dedigivolution. I am actually a human girl, just as normal as you...well maybe not exactly as normal as you. I have the power to turn into a digimon, or digital monster. They're creatures that can do all kinds of things, including battling. My human spirit evolution is Kazemon." At this point, Zoe put on a more serious face before continuing, "See, the Earth is in danger, and I was called on to help fight this evil that's threatening to take over. But I failed. These three dark creatures, by the way don't ask because I myself have absolutely no idea what they are, ganged up on me and totally destroyed me. I'm lucky they didn't fully kill me though. I'm afraid of what the three creatures will now do now, because they left laughing in this scary way after they attacked me. So I called for help. I mean it was the best I could do, even though it sounds stupid. I'm really sorry you had to come here for me. I'll try to help you go back if you want." Zoe looked at Hikaru, Umi, and then Fuu.  
"No way!" Hikaru exclaimed. "I am going to stay here and help fight for Earth."  
"And I will fight with you!" Umi said strongly.  
"We'll all fight together!" Fuu cried.  
"But how?" asked Zoe. "I mean are you guys Digimon also?"  
"No," said Hikaru, smiling. "We're Magic Knights!"  
"Um, okay. Do you know where we are right now?" Zoe said.  
"Er," Fuu looked sheepishly at Zoe, "Earth?"  
"Yes," replied Zoe, "But do you know where?"  
"No. Can you tell us?" Umi asked.  
"We're in the spiritual heart of our world."  
"Okay, whatever, can you explain further?" Fuu asked joining in the conversation.  
"Well," said Zoe a bit haltingly, "This isn't a real place. I mean, it is, but not everyone can get here."  
"What do you mean by that?" asked Hikaru. "Wait, does this have something to do with our hearts?"  
"Yes, your heart, your mind, and your spirit. It's kind of like how much willpower you have, I guess. Like only those people who are strong in some way that's not exactly physical have enough power or energy or whatever you want to call it to find a way here."  
"But then basically you're saying we summoned ourselves here."  
"Yes! I guess when somehow you heard me ask for help, you were able to come here to the heart of Earth through the need to find the source of my cry."  
"Oh," said Hikaru, "and the fact that we're now here probably means we have to participate in this battle for Earth as well."  
"Well I'm ready!" Umi shouted.  
"Yes, so am I," said Fuu, "but we don't have any weapons, armor, or even magic! How can anyone expect us to go rushing into battle defenseless?"  
"Well," said Zoe, laughing, "you passed!"  
"Huh?"  
"Uh wha?"  
"Phwee?!"  
"You passed," Zoe said simply, as if that explained everything.  
"You mean this was a test?" asked Hikaru.  
"Yes," said Zoe innocently, "I was called to this heart of Earth to help summon people to fight against this enigmatic darkness that's been threatening to take over recently. Actually, at first I was called to help fight it, but I failed, so this was the only other way I could think of to help."  
"Um..." said Hikaru, with a confused look on her face.  
"I know, I don't get it either. At least not really. All I understand is that something is attacking Earth and we need all the help we can get. I called for help thinking if anyone out there was strong enough to fight this evil, they would be able to answer my cry and summon themselves to the heart. Of course I was expecting other kids who could turn into Digimon. When I found out you guys couldn't, I thought you wouldn't be able to fight either. I must say, I did doubt your abilities. But I guess I'm wrong, you really are fighters if you know about armor and weapons and all that stuff."  
"Well," said Umi, trying to contain her sudden feelings of rage, "anyone ever tell you that you've got a twisted mind?"  
Zoe simply laughed and said, "No. No one ever has before, and no one isn't now, at least not that I know of."  
Then all of a sudden, as if in answer to Fuu's earlier question about magic, weapons, and armor, the air glowed silver and Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu were surrounded by bright light. Hikaru was surrounded by red light, Umi blue, and Fuu green. Through the light, Zoe could see armor emerging from some hidden source, bringing itself to cover the three girls. Then three swords appeared from nowhere, and made their way into the three girls' hands. Finally the colored light surrounding the three girls shone so bright, Zoe couldn't see through it anymore. When the light lifted, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu had completely transformed. Zoe stared in awe. So this was why they were so confident about fighting for Earth. These three girls who called themselves the Magic Knights were true knights with magical powers. The fate of Earth was now hopefully in good hands.  
  
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I apologize for another very short chapter, but I got really busy with other stuff. Next chapter, I PROMISE, I will finally write about what happens to Sakura, and get her out from under that evil mage's staff. (She's been there for what, two chapters and a few paragraphs now?) Please R&R and I'll update asap! ^_^ (Oh and let me know what you think about adding other characters from Digimon. I added Zoe this time because she fit in really well, but I don't really like her, you can tell by the way I made her "fail", but I'm willing to add other characters and make them look good, so please give me any suggestions you might have.) 


	5. The One Behind It All

CHAPTER 5 IS UP!!!! (I had major problems with my computer that has aged past decriptitude, but it's fine now...I'm sorry for  
  
not updating for like over a month. This chapter may be a bit below expectations cause I'm a bit rusted but I still hope you  
  
enjoy!)   
  
I just want to thank justblue and kari hiiragizawa. (Sorry about any mistakes in capitalization, but I don't know where they go, lol  
  
sry!^^)  
  
Disclaimer: ......If I didn't have one of these, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, now would I?  
  
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RECAP (figured you might need one since it's been so long since the last update, and even if you don't, I do):   
  
Sakura came home from school one day and discovered Kero and Yue were gone. She left Tomoyo, and went to go find them.  
  
Along the way, Tomoyo disappeared as well. When Sakura went to Tomoyo's house, she was summoned to Tokyo Tower  
  
where she saw Tomoyo, Kero, and Yue were being held by an evil mage. The mage threatened to hurt Sakura's friends if she  
  
didn't do as he asked. When Sakura refused, (in a subtle way), he started hurting Tomoyo, Kero, and Yue, and out of  
  
frustration/sadness/guilt/helplessness, Sakura fell to her knees. The mage stood over her and lifted his staff, ready to deal her a  
  
fatal blow....  
  
Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu were summoned to the Heart of Earth, where they met Zoe and found out about an evil force attacking  
  
Earth. The three girls decided to join the battle to help save Earth. Along the way they met Zoe, who was nice, but a bit odd...  
  
UPCOMING EVENTS:   
  
Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu meet Sakura (finally)  
  
More is revealed about this evil force which so far only consists of an evil mage (but that's all about to change soon in this  
  
chapter)  
  
Koji and Syaoran are introduced (I got this idea from Justblue^^)  
  
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Kurakami. Black spirits, or gods, as they were called by some. They were powerful creatures, able to take on the form of   
  
anything they so chose. The kurakami made strong allies, but horrible enemies. You'd never want to face one in battle, unless you   
  
were crazy or suicidal. The most formidable thing about kurakami were that they were devoid of all emotion. They felt nothing,   
  
and were truly heartless. The only way to get through to one, in order to destroy it, was to inflict pain. There was no other way.  
  
At least not that thirteen-year old Nekura Li knew of. And pain was almost impossible to inflict because the kurakami were not   
  
only born with an extreme amount of power, but as time passed, they absorbed great power from sources unimaginable. The   
  
hunger for power a kurakami had, never ceased. Even when there was no more power to be had, the kurakami would continue   
  
to search for it, in order to grow stronger, in order to seek and destroy, in order to cause pain. For the kurakami thrived off   
  
suffering, especially that of humans.  
  
Yes, thought Nekura to herself, as she lounged on the easy chair in her father's study, her feet on the desk, her long midnight   
  
black hair gleaming as it fell across her shoulders, her dark-blue sapphire eyes sparkling. I have thought of the perfect plan. The   
  
kurakami may be strong, but if they're on your side, then there's nothing to fear. So I don't have to fear, do I? I can sit here,   
  
relaxing, and the kurakami will do all the work for me. I will be able to get stronger without even lifting a finger. Nekura laughed   
  
softly and smiled, but the smile did not reach her hard, cold eyes. She played with the glittering, black, raindrop-shaped pendant   
  
in her hand, and wondered if the kurakami she'd sent to find the Master of the Clow had made any progress yet. She knew her   
  
brother had been connected to the Clow cards in some way and had helped capture them a few years ago, but he was a fool and   
  
nothing more. Good for absolutely nothing. Last time she'd tried to communicate with him ended in disaster, but at least she came   
  
out on top. Her brother was not so lucky and still had a scar from that encounter. She barely even bothered to talk to him   
  
nowadays, because it was just a waste of time. The only person she put up with was her father because he was the only one who   
  
was stronger than her, the only one with more power than her. Other family members, or even just innocent people who tried to   
  
draw quiet, brooding Nekura into conversation, were greeted with an icy stare and treated with hostility. But Nekura vowed that   
  
would all change. Soon there'd be no one with more power than her and she'd have to respect no one, not even her own father,   
  
just as soon as her plan was fully put into action. The kurakami had been very helpful in assisting her, and she believed they'd help   
  
her even more in this current task; to root out all sources of magic and/or other powers existing on Earth.  
  
The kurakami Nekura had sent to find the Master of the Clow had chosen to take the form of an evil mage. Nekura had been fairly surprised that it had chose to take the form of a human man of all things, but she'd said nothing. The kurakami were weird creatures, but they were heartless. Nekura was sure of that. And as long as the job got done, what did it matter about the form that had to be take in order to do so? Soon Nekura would have access to all the major power sources left on Earth. And after Earth had been rendered defenseless, she'd set out to take over the universe.   
  
There were more kurakami out there under her control waiting for her command when the time came, whatever or whenever that   
  
may be. And even more were already seeking out major power sources for her. Some had already finished their tasks. Nekura   
  
was already very powerful now, and she was growing stronger everyday from the finds her kurakami made. But Nekura wasn't   
  
through with this world yet, there was still more power out there. And Nekura would be sure to get it all. After all, she thought to   
  
herself with a grin, you can never have too much power, can you?  
  
As Nekura let out a short laugh, and the black gem in her hand glowed faintly and clouded. Inside the crystal raindrop, the   
  
silhouettes of dark shadows were visible. As Nekura looked down at them and uttered a single word, the dark night sky outside,   
  
heavy with storm clouds, cleared, and the moon and stars peeked out from under them. Light from the full moon shone through   
  
the window of the study room Nekura was in. She looked up and held up the pendant so that it reflected the soft light from the   
  
moon. Her father's study was dark now, dusk had long fallen, and now the only sources of light in the room came from the moon   
  
outside and the pendant since Nekura had not bothered to turn on the light. When the light from the moon passed through the   
  
pendant, the actual color of the raindrop was visible; it was a dark, rich, violet, unlike the plain black it had first appeared as. The   
  
shadows inside were darker, the outline more easily seen.   
  
Nekura took her feet off the desk, and stood up. Her long dark hair, let loose, baggy dark-blue jeans, and black hooded   
  
sweatshirt gave her an odd and enigmatic appearance. Her mother insisted that by wearing such shapeless clothes, she diminished   
  
her beauty by an incredible amount, as well as hiding her feminity, but that didn't matter to Nekura. These clothes were   
  
comfortable, and there was no way she'd ever wear somthing as ridiculous as a dress or skirt, such clothes limited mobility   
  
terribly, and Nekura couldn't afford that. She also badly needed to tie up her hair as soon as possible, otherwise it would get in   
  
her face and distract her. It already was a burden as it weighed down the ear she'd tried to tuck some behind so that it would   
  
stay back, but the effort was to no avail. If her hair wasn't tied in a ponytail or something before it got in her eyes and face, she'd   
  
lose her temper and do something rash. She didn't want that. Nekura sighed. "All that needs to happen, will happen in due time,   
  
no matter what anyone or anything tries to do to speed up or slow down time." An old proverb her sensei used to tell her when   
  
she was younger. But he was no more than an old quack. Maybe no ordinary person or thing could change the destiny of time,   
  
but Nekura was beyond the ordinary person.   
  
Nekura smiled and walked to the study door. She unlocked it and stepped out, the door closing behind her with a gentle thud. Before she went out into the hallway, she slipped the black pendant around her neck and tucked it under her shirt. It's time to have some fun, thought Nekura with a grin. The sky outside flashed and the clouds moved back in as the rain started to fall once more. Though it was away from the sight of human eyes, the black pendant glowed again and clouded, imitating the sky. The shadows inside its crystal were there no longer. All that was left was darkness.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Light cannot exist without the absence of darkness, and darkness cannot be with light. Light is required to make shadows, yet   
  
shadows are one of the very forms of darkness."   
  
"Darkness is born in the innocent, hence light is born in the dark."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Two boys sat in a library, studying for their science test set for the forthcoming day. No matter how hard they tried though, they could not keep their minds on forces and motion. Instead their thoughts drifted, and they restlessly tried to get into a comfortable position so that they would not flunk their test tomorrow on Newton's Laws . . . .   
  
  
  
"I sense something."  
  
"Huh, what's up?"  
  
Syaoran Li had not known Koji Minamoto for that long, but the two were already inseperable friends. Each could sense the other's thoughts and feelings without communication by way of speech. It was a wonderful relationship, and the fact that it had blossomed so easily was a wonder to many. (A/N: No, please don't mistake this for yaoi, I abhor yaoi, there is no way I'll ever put yaoi in one of my stories, this is NOT yaoi, lol, I'll stop now...BUT KEEP IN MIND THIS HAS ABSOLUTELY *NOTHING* TO DO WITH YAOI!!!)   
  
"There is a storm approaching. It is very near."  
  
"Minamoto?" Though the two boys considered themselves friends, they still referred to each other by their surnames.   
  
Syaoran looked at his friend. Koji's eyes were a dark bluish-gray, almost black. Right now, they showed a look of great   
  
concentration. His long dark-blue hair was tied back so that it would not get in his eyes.  
  
"Don't you sense it as well, Li?" Koji looked at Syaoran questioningly.  
  
"Huh?" Syaoran looked around. His eyes settled on the largest window in the library. It was dark outside, and the   
  
sky was heavy with clouds. But there was nothing wrong with that, was there? It was already night so darkness was normal. But   
  
he knew Koji must sense something that was amiss with the black sky. Something that wasn't quite natural. But what was it?  
  
"Li, I think...there is something about this darkness that relates to you."  
  
"Me!? What makes you say that?"  
  
"I-I-I-" Koji faltered. "I don't really know, but it's...an instinct."  
  
"I'm afraid I don't quite sense this storm you sense, Minamoto. But that doesn't mean you're wrong. It's just... is there   
  
really anything we can do about it right now? Is there anything we should do?"   
  
Koji looked at Syaoran's sincere eyes, showing that he was willing to do everything he could to help Koji. Koji   
  
thought to himself about how lucky he was to have found such a good friend. But he remembered with a tiny smile, Syaoran and   
  
himself were not always like this. There was a point where once Syaoran had been his nemesis, his rival, his much detested   
  
adversary. How fortunate they both were, that that enmity that once existed between them had not lasted for long. But it was   
  
something while it did last...................  
  
---FLASHBACK--- (first day of school, second period math class)  
  
It was a bright sunny day. The second-standarad students were gathered in their classroom, patiently awaiting their   
  
teacher's arrival.  
  
The door opened and Ms. Kamiya, their teacher, walked in, with a large smile on her face."Good morning class! It is my greatest pleasure to inform you of a new student who will be joining our class today. . . .please welcome Mr. Syaoran Li. He has previously lived in Japan, but moved to Hong Kong quite a while ago. Now his family has recently come back to Japan, and Mr. Li will be attending this academy with you all. Now, do be nice to him . . ."  
  
The door to the classroom slammed open and in walked "Mr. Syaoran Li". His hair was untidy, his uniform unkempt.   
  
Most of the students paid no attention to him as they were busy trying to catch up on sleep. Only one boy looked at Syaoran, his   
  
eyes showing no feeling or emotion. Syaoran glared at him. "Where do I sit?" he asked Ms. Kamiya gruffly.  
  
Not showing any sign of noticing Syaoran's moodiness, she brightly pointed to an empty seat beside the boy who still   
  
continued to stare at Syaoran as if he were some new object worthy of interest. Syaoran humphed and sat down next to the boy.   
  
He pretended to ignore him.  
  
"You look like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. What's the matter?"  
  
Huh? Syaoran looked around. All students' heads were bent over their desk. Reluctantly he turned his gaze to the   
  
boy next to him. His eyes were inquisitive. Syaoran's own eyes flashed with anger. "What's it matter to you, anyway? Just leave   
  
me alone," he shouted.  
  
The whole class turned to look at the two boys at the corner of the classroom. Ms. Kamiya was writing something on   
  
the chalkboard and pretended not to hear.  
  
In a hushed voice, the second boy said, "I'm Koji. Koji Minamoto. I don't normally bother with other people, but   
  
there's something about you that appeals to me. I don't know what it is, but I feel I have to get to know you better."  
  
"What?-- ever. Whatever! Why should I care about what you find appealing or not? This is school. I'm here to study.   
  
Leave me alone and just back off."  
  
Koji did not look even slightly taken aback. His gaze was still calm, his disposition cool. "I am here to learn. And I   
  
believe I have much to learn from you."  
  
Syaoran simply grunted an indecipherable reply.  
  
"I hate you."  
  
"What?" Startled, Syaoran looked at Koji. But it was not Koji who had spoken. Or was it? There was something in   
  
his eyes... was it laughter? Or something else? "I have no reason to like you either," growled Syaoran.  
  
Koji nodded in agreement and went back to his work. Syaoran sighed with relief and started on his worksheet. He   
  
stole a glance at Koji. To his surprise, the boy still stared at him. "What is it?" demanded Syaoran.  
  
Koji had an odd look on his face. His eyes moved from Syaoran's eyes to a mark on his left cheek. "Where'd you   
  
get that scar? Actually it's not even a scar yet, is it? It looks pretty fresh."  
  
Syaoran's cheeks took on a slight reddish tinge as he protectively put his hand to his left cheek, covering up the thin   
  
red line that stretched from the bottom of his eye to his mouth. "It is of no concern of yours, I expect."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"Yes, really."  
  
And with that, Syaoran gathered his things and left the classroom, just as the bell rang.  
  
---END FLASHBACK---  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Zoe sat in the Heart of Earth alone. The Magic Knight girls had left long before. She hoped they were okay and doing well. But since help had come, answering to a mere cry of frustration, she believed anything was possible. Everything was going to be all right now.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu stood on across the street from Tokyo Tower, watching the terrible scene in front of them unfold like some horror movie. The pretty girl at the bottom of the tower, who had plain brown hair, and striking emerald eyes had lowered her head as if she regretted something. The man at the top of the tower was dressed in black and carried an evil looking staff. He continued to speak, ranting on endlessly. The three girls were too far away though, to hear what he was saying. Every once in a while red light appeared at the top of the tower.   
  
Something was definitely wrong. On the way to the tower, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu had seen unconcious people littering the streets. Should they intervene in what was now happening at the tower? Hikaru gasped as she saw the girl fall down to her knees, as if she was giving up. My mind is made up, decided Hikaru. "I'm going to help her," she said out loud to Umi and Fuu.  
  
  
  
"We'll go with you," Umi replied firmly.  
  
"Yes, let's do this together. That girl obviously needs our help."  
  
Hikaru looked at her friends. They looked so brave standing there in the moonlight with their armor and weapons. "Are you sure about this?"  
  
  
  
"Yes!" both Umi and Fuu shouted at the same time.   
  
"Okay."   
  
Just as the man was bringing down his staff on top of the girls head, Hikaru ran across the street and unsheathed her sword.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Should I stop here? Lol I'm not that mean, let's continue......(this time from Sakura's point of view)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Sakura continued to hopelessly stare at the ground, unable to bring herself to look at Yue, Kero, or Tomoyo. Suddenly she heard a whoosh sound and she was pelted with shards of black crystal. A couple hit her face and scratched it, drawing blood. Luckily, her arms and legs were well covered.  
  
Sakura jerked her head up to look at her savior. A magnificent woman with garnet colored hair and deep ruby eyes, wielding a sword had shattered the mage's staff. When Sakura looked at her, the woman smiled, and Sakura saw that the woman was actually a girl her age. The girl stuck out a hand, which Sakura gladly took and brought herself up to stand beside the girl. I'm actually a bit taller than her, Sakura thought in awe. From the ground, it all looked different, but who is she?  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by two more girls rushing towards Sakura and the ruby-eyed girl. One girl had light-blue hair and sapphire eyes, while the other had golden hair and emerald eyes, not unlike Sakura's own.   
  
"Are you okay?" asked the emerald-eyed girl.  
  
"Yeah, you did look like you were in quite a fix there," the sapphire-eyed girl added.  
  
"Tomoyo. Kero. Yue. What's happened to them?" asked Sakura.  
  
"Look!" The ruby-eyed girl brought everyone's attention to the top of Tokyo Tower. The mage no longer had a humanoid appearance. Instead he had turned into a dark shadow, almost camoflauged with the night sky. It looked as if with the staff, he had lost his body as well. The three forms at the top of Tokyo Tower floated down inside some kind of invisible bubble. As they landed, the bubble popped and Tomoyo, Kero, and Yue fell forward.   
  
Sakura shouted with happiness. "You're back!"  
  
Yue had an uncertain look on his face. Kero's was approving. Tomoyo just said, in a grateful tone, "Thank you for rescuing us, Sakura. I knew you wouldn't fail us.  
  
Sakura looked away, unable to bear the pain of failure. Unable to admit she was too weak to be called the Master of the Clow.  
  
"What's wrong, Sakura?" Yue asked. His voice had an unexpected sharp edge.  
  
"Don't worry. She'll tell us in her own time. For now let's just celebrate. Anyone have some food?" Kero looked around apprehensively. He noticed the three girls with weapons and armor staring at him, apparently for the first time. "Hey what are you guys looking at? Who are you anyway?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Please R&R!!! Tell me what you think. Have I been not writing fanfiction for too long?  
  
I know Koji and Li weren't exactly acting like themselves, but you'll find out why in a later flashback. Notice the first one took place during second period... but something happened during first period.... lol more on that later  
  
I want to add more characters to my story.... as always I'm open to suggestions. 


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